The basics of an HIV treatment, which will not let you have AIDS

Globally, AIDS is the major cause of death among women of reproductive age and according to the World Health Organization, it is a major global health issue which has claimed almost 34 million lives. The statistics do seem scary, right? Yes, they are scary, but with these facts we would also like to tell you that the fight against this pandemic has resulted in averting around 8 million deaths since last 15 years. And most of the credit to this achievement can be attributed to the advancements in medical science which came with antiretroviral therapy (ART), which serves as the most effective HIV treatment mechanism. Though ART cannot entirely wipe out HIV from blood, but it can help people with HIV to live healthier and longer lives and it also reduces the risks of transmission. It can make the patients reach at levels where the viral load cannot be detected in blood tests, which can greatly reduce the risk of transmission. Here, we are going to discuss the basics of this HIV treatment.

1 What is antiretroviral therapy?

Antiretroviral Therapy is basically the treatment of HIV infection done through a combination of medicines aimed at reducing the amount of HIV in the body. This treatment is recommended to anyone who has HIV, regardless of whether they have AIDS or not.

Till a few years ago, anyone who had HIV also had AIDS (which happens when the immune system becomes so weak that it is not able to fight infections), but with ART, one can now be HIV positive and not have AIDS, if the HIV treatment is done consistently and properly. This means that ART makes people live longer and healthier lives, even if they have HIV.